FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINSER, MOATS POST WINS AT SEASON OPENER
TOPEKA, Kan., -- Mark Kinser and Vern Moats both took home wins at the NHRA West Central division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series All Pro Auto Parts Heartland Championships from Heartland Park Topeka.

Kinser, of Grimes, Iowa, advanced from the number two qualifying position in Federal-Mogul Dragster to beat Ziggy Zirkovich with a pass of 5.658 seconds at 248.27 miles per hour.

"We've got a good year going so far" replied Kinser. "We were runner-up in Memphis two weeks ago and then ran pretty well this weekend with the win. That 5.65 (second pass) in the final was our best of the day. We hurt a few little things over the weekend but nothing major."

Moats ran a 6.131 seconds at 240 mph in the final with his Kendall sponsored Funny Car, but took the win light right off the start as Sam Blue red lighted giving the automatic win to the thirteen time West Central division Funny Car Champion.

Lawrence, Kan. resident and Federal-Mogul Dragster driver Rob Wendland, was the number one qualifier but was upset in the first round of eliminations by Californian Darryl Hitchman. Wendland shook the tires hard off the line and Hitchman streaked to an easy win.

Defending national and divisional champion Gary Stinnett of Emporia, Kan., took his Super Comp. Dragster to the semifinal round before losing to event winner Lawrence Brink of Brighton, Colo. Stinnett also locked up a spot on the West Central division's Federal-Mogul AllStar team which will compete in head to head competition with teams from the other six NHRA division at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals held in Columbus, Ohio in mid-June.

TOPEKA Kan. -- Final results Sunday from Heartland Park Topeka, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA West Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Mark Kinser, Grimes, Iowa, 5.658, 248.27
Ziggy Zirkovich, Litchfield, Minn., broke.

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, Pontiac, 6.131, 240.00
Sam Blue, Red Wing, Minn., Oldsmobile Achevia, red light.

COMPETITION

Tom Snyder, Longmont, Colo., Chevrolet, 7.279, 147.27
John Linton, Tonkawa, Okla.,  dragster, 9.516, 91.45.

SUPER STOCK
David Bogner, Kearney, Neb., Dodge Daytona, 10.310, 127.29
Rick Johnson, Wayzata, Minn., Dodge, 9.722, 135.23.

STOCK
Randy Shepard, Holmen, Wis., Chevrolet Camaro, 10.873, 117.60
Steve Koppien, Sioux Falls, S.D., Camaro, 10.657, 122.34.

SUPER COMP
Lawrence Brink, Brighton, Colo., dragster, 8.946, 140.33
Clarence Mayo, Manly, Iowa, dragster, 8.862, 152.12. Broke out.

SUPER GAS
Wendall Keesaer, Sweet Springs, Mo., Chevrolet Beretta, 9.955, 140.91
Mark Philbrick, Aurora, Colo., Ford Mustang, 9.960, 141.82.

SUPER STREET
Mark Hackett, Ouincy, Ill., Camaro, 10.906, 127.75
Denny Spangler, Fremont, Neb., Chevrolet Vega, 10.988, 116.09.

PRO SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE
Tracy Helmhold, Morrison. Colo., Kawasaki, 8.872, 143.83
Carl Lewis, Topeka., Kan., Susuki, 8.495, 147.85.

JR DRAGSTERS (8-12 yerar olds)
Heather Schorr, Grain, Valley, Mo., 9.380
Michael McClure, Topeka, Kan., 14.435.

JR DRAGSTERS (13-17 year olds)
Jaren Micetich, Knoxville, Iowa, 9.259
Joe Ekart, Manhattan, Kan., 9.359.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAWRENCE RESIDENT TAKES POLE POSITION
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Rob Wendland of Lawrence, Kan., took home the Winston Top Qualifier money and the number one qualifying spot in Federal-Mogul Dragster at the All Pro Auto Parts Heartland Championships at Heartland Park Topeka. Wendland's pass of 5.594 seconds at 252.23 mph is nearly a tenth of a second faster than the number two qualifier Mark Kinser who clocked a pass of 5.682 second, 250.62 mph pass.

"The run was real smooth" said the former crew chief for David Wells, the current NHRA West Central Division Federal-Mogul Dragster Champion. "It's great to be the number one qualifier here at Heartland Park. There are about forty people that came out here to see me. We're thrilled with the team's performance."

Wendland, owner and operator of Wendland Performance in Lawrence, was runner-up at last weekends NHRA Pacific Division race in Bakersfield, Calif., just his second race as a driver.

Cy Chesterman stayed atop of the Funny Car class to take the number one qualifying spot at this event for the second year in a row. Chesterman bettered his Friday qualifying time of 5.770 seconds with a pass of 5.705 at 251.11 mph. Vern Moats sits in the number two spot with a time of 5.756, 247.93 mph.

Gary Stinnett, of Emporia, Kan., qualified his Super Stock Firebird in the number three position with an elapsed time of 10.599 seconds, .901 seconds under his index.

JP Smith and Carl Lewis, both of Topeka sit in the number one and three qualifying spots respectively in the motorcycle class. Smith's perfect reaction time of .500 seconds gave him the number one spot while Lewis has the top speed of the event so far with a run of 161.78 mph on his Suzuki.

Final eliminations continue at Heartland Park Topeka on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. with Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car eliminations scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

TOPEKA, Kan.--Final qualifying results from Heartland Park Topeka, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA West Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.594 seconds, 252.23 miles per hour.
2. Mark Kinser, Grimes, Iowa, 5.682, 250.62..
3. Billy Bybee, McLean, Texas, 5.683 seconds, 251.88.
4. Mike Strasburg, Lehi, Utah, 5.709, 248.00.
5. Ziggy Zirkovich, Litchfield, Minn., 5.717, 244.03.
6. Bob McCosh, Columbia, Mo., 5.775, 219.29.
7. Bruce Bowler, Arvada, Colo., 5.883, 239.68.
8. Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.859, 240.00. 
9. Larry Traugett, Woodward, Okla., 5.900, 239.48.
10. Ed Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., 6.046, 187.69 
11. Randy Myer, Spring Hill, Kan., 6.174, 210.72.
12. Gerald Gossman, Garden City, Kan., 6.321, 215.67.

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Cy Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, Pontiac, Trans Am, 5.705, 251.11
2. Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, Pontiac, Firebird, 5.756, 247.93.
3. Steve Addleman, Sioux Falls, S.D., Firebird, 5.875, 246.98.
4. Sam Blue, Red Wing, Minn., Oldsmobile Achieva, 5.925, 240.32
5. Randy Fleming, Independence, Mo., Firebird, 5.932, 233.34.
6. Kurt Prososki, Bellveue, Neb., Oldsmobile, 6.210, 234.68.
7. Michael Heckert, Pittsburg, Kan., Firebird, 6.396, 197.06.
8. Kevin Richardson, Winnipeg, MB CAN, Oldsmobile, 6.740, 160.94
9. Scott Palmer, Highlandvill, Mo., Firebird, 6.513, 216.24.
10. Robert Kanenwisher, Conifer. Colo., 7.787, n/a.

COMPETITION:
1. Doug Engles, Watertown, S.D., dragster, 7.598, -0.542.
2. Tom Snyder, Longmont, Colo., Chevrolet, 6.827, -0.533.
3. John Linton, Tonkawa,  dragster, 7.636, -0.504.
4. Eloy Lucero, Denver, Colo., Ford, Mustang, 7.728, -0.502.
5. Clint Sallee, Glendive, Mont., dragster, 7.202, -0.498.
6. John Farleigh, Scott City, Kan., Firebird, 7.428, -0.472.
7. Tom Suggs, Vandnais Heights, Minn., Pontiac, Grand Prix, 8.393, -0.457.
8. Maryann Austin, Lowell, Ark., dragster, 7.550, -0.440.
9. Clint Neff, Arvada, Colo., dragster, 7.289, -0.411.
10. Tom Schmidt, Lindstom, Minn., Pontiac, Beretta, 7.491, -0.409.

SUPER STOCK
1. Randall Klein, Lincoln, Neb., Chevrolet, 11.262, -1.188.
2. Dan Larson, St. Paul, Minn., Chevrolet, Camaro, 10.547, -1.003.
3. Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Kan., Firebird, 10.599, -0.901.
4. Randy Mans, Rogers, Minn., Firebird, 10.618, -0.882.
5. Gene Bichlmeier, Norfolk, Neb., Chevrolet, 10.478, -0.822.
6. Abe Loewen, Regina, SK CAN, Pontiac, Grand Am, 9.398, -0.811.
7. Ritch Ahrens, Greeley, Colo., Firebird, 10.158, -0.792.
8. Chad Guilford, Highlands Ranch, Colo., Ford Cougar, 10.221, -0.729. 
9. Mike Lyons, Elizabeth, Colo., Camaro, 10.641, -0.709.
10. Tom Cassen, North Platte, Neb., Oldsmobile, 9.849, -0.701.

STOCK
1. Stewart Triggs, Fremont, Neb., Dodge, 15.743, -1.257.
2. Steve, Koppien, Sioux Falls, S.D., Camaro, 10.515, -1.035
3. Jim Cimarolli, Sulphur Springs, Texas, Nova, 10.678, -1.022.
4. Neal Rhodes, Aurora. Colo., Ford Fairlane, 11.159, -0.991.
5. Delmar Wood, Tulsa Okla., Camaro, 10.722, -0.978.
6. Martin Burke, Flower Mound, Texas, Mustang, 10.732, -0.962.
7. Mike Wenke, Conway Spring, Kan., Mustang, 10.601, -0.949.
8. Marty Woffard, Conway Springs, Kan., Mustang, 10.601, -0.949
9. Kevin Helms, Byers, Colo., Camaro, 10.590, -0.910.
10. Bob Shaw, Sedalia, Mo., Buick, 14.933, -0.867.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BYBEE, CHESTERMAN GRAB TOP QUALIFYING SPOTS
TOPEKA, Kan.--Billy Bybee and Cy Chesterman grabbed the top qualifying positions at the All Pro Auto Parts Heartland Championships. Bybee recorded a pass of 5.693 seconds at 234.77 mph in the Federal-Mogul Dragster Cateogry during the first round of qualifying at Heartland Park. Lawrence, Kan. resident, Rob Wendland put his dragster in the number three position with a run of 5.727 seoconds, 251.04 mph.

In Federal-Mogul Funny Car, Cy Chestermann and Vern Moats, both from Iowa, took the number one and two qualifying spots respectivly. Chesterman tripped the clocks at 5.770 seconds at 249.65 mph with Moats at 5.887, 243.65. Chesterman and Moats have battled each other for a number of years as the heavy hitters in the NHRA West Central Division.

Local favorite, Gary Stinnett, of Emporia, Kan., qualified his '98 Pontiac Firebird in the number seven spot in the Super Stock category. Gary is the reigning Super Comp. NHRA Federal-Mogul National Champion and the West Central Division Champion in both Super Stock and Super Comp.

Topeka resident Carl Lewis, is the number one qualifier in the Motorcycle category on his '99 Suzuki with a run of 161.78 mph. The motorcycle category qualifies from their reaction time with .500 seconds being a perfect mark. Lewis's reaction time of .505 seconds put him on top of the class.

TOPEKA, Kan.-- qualifying results Friday from Heartland Park Topeka, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA West Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Billy Bybee, McLean, Texas, 5.693 seconds, 243.77 miles per hour.
2. Mike Strasburg, Lehi, Utah, 5.709, 248.00.
3. Rob Wendland, Larence, Kan., 5.727, 251.04.
4. Mark Kinser, Grimes, Iowa, 5.799, 249.23.
5. Larry Traugett, Woodward, Okla., 5.900, 239.48.
6. Randy Myer, Spring Hill, Kan., 6.174, 210.72.
7. Ed Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., 6.335, 177.20.
8. Gerald Grossman, Garden City, Kan., 6.407, 213.57.
9. Bob McCosh, Columbia, Mo., 6.706, 150.93.
10. Ziggy Zirkovich, Litchfield, Minn., 8.153, 107.70.
11. Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 12.007, 83.79

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Cy Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, Pontiac, Trans Am, 5.770, 249.65
2. Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, Pontiac, Firebird, 5.887, 243.63.
3. Sam Blue, Red Wing, Minn., Oldsmobile Achieva, 5.925, 240.32
4. Kurt Prososki, Bellveue, Neb., 6.210, 234.68.
5. Randy Fleming, Independence, Mo., Firebird, 6.397, 232.61.
6. Michael Heckert, Pittsburg, Kan., Firebird, 6.469, 216.60.
7. Steve Addleman, Sioux Falls, S.D., Firebird, 16.640, 42.79.

COMPETITION:
1. Doug Engles, Watertown, S.D., dragster, 7.598, -0.542.
2. Tom Snyder, Longmont, Colo., Chevrolet, 6.827, -0.533.
3. John Linton, Tonkawa,  dragster, 7.636, -0.504.
4. Eloy Lucero, Denver, Colo., Ford, Mustang, 7.728, -0.502.
5. Clint Sallee, Glendive, Mont., dragster, 7.202, -0.498.
6. John Farleigh, Scott City, Kan., Firebird, 7.428, -0.472.
7. Tom Suggs, Vandnais Heights, Minn., Pontiac, Grand Prix, 8.393, -0.457.
8. Tom Schmidt, Lindstom, Minn., Pontiac, Beretta, 7.491, -0.409.
9. Duane Robinson, Gardner, Kan., Firebird, 7.851, -0.379.
10. Joe Angelo, Zimmerman, Minn., dragster, 7.274, -0.346.

SUPER STOCK
1. Randall Klein, Lincoln, Neb., Chevrolet, 11.262, -1.188.
2. Dan Larson, St. Paul, Minn., Chevrolet, Camaro, 10.547, -1.003.
3. Randy Mans, Rogers, Minn., Firebird, 10.639, -0.861.
4. Gene Bichlmeier, Norfolk, Neb., Chevrolet, 10.478, -0.822.
5. Abe Loewen, Regina, SK CAN, Pontiac, Grand Am, 9.398, -0.811.
6. Ritch Ahrens, Greeley, Colo., Firebird, 10.158, -0.792.
7. Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Kan., Firebird, 10.726, -0.774.
8. Mike Lyons, Elizabeth, Colo., Camaro, 10.645, -0.705.
9. Tom Cassen, North Platte, Neb., Oldsmobile, 9.849, -0.701.
10. Dave Lockridge, Aurora, Colo., Chevrolet, Nova, 10.197, .0653.

STOCK
1. Stewart Triggs, Fremont, Neb., Dodge, 15.743, -1.257.
2. Jim Cimarolli, Sulphur Springs, Texas, Nova, 10.678, -1.022.
3. Neal Rhodes, Aurora. Colo., Ford Fairlane, 11.159, -0.991.
4. Delmar Wood, Tulsa Okla., Camaro, 10.732, -0.968.
5. Martin Burke, Flower Mound, Texas, Mustang, 10.732, -0.962.
6. Steve Koppien, Sioux Falls, S.D., Camaro, 10.599, -0.951.
7. Mike Wenke, Conway Spring, Kan., Mustang, 10.601, -0.949.
8. Roger Kundsen, Waterloo, Iowa, Camaro, 10.690, -0.860.
9. Joe Demaris, Forest Lake, Minn., Buick Skylark, 11.455, -0.845.
10. Bob Johnson, Aurora, Colo., Mustang, 11.012, -0.838.